I am taking care of my fifty-three year old husband who suffered a terrible stroke and I stopped working to take care of him. I took care of my father for tweleve years prior to my husband having his stroke. I am tired, and most days frightened. I guess I believed being a girl there would be someone to take care of me, how strange things have turned out. I trust God will help me, but I feel very hopeless. I love my husband dearly, but life seems very hopeless.

77 Answers

Life is a cruel shock for many of us who were raised to think a man would be there to at least help us along the journey. Then we find we are the caregivers and the sole providers to keep a roof over our heads, care for our children and/or often the husband.

Often ill people won't do what they are capable of, and that isn't good for them. A wife/mother will do it, they figure. But then they get more helpless. Then, like Austin, we have to get stern and we hate having to do that.

There's often a lot of manipulation going on with the sick person, and there's only so much a caregiver can take. It's good to get outside help. However, I know my elders would wait for me to do the thngs "the way they liked them." Of course, I would! Then, I became indispensible. It can be a vicious circle.

OH, DADDYSGIRL IM SO SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR HUSBAND. I DONT NO WHAT I WOULD DO WITHOUT THE STRANGHTH OF MY HUSBAND. HE IS 14 YRS OLDER THEN ME AND IN THE BACK OF MY HEAD IM ALWAYS AFRAID. WHAT DO YOU DO FOR JUST YOU????? BECAUSE OF MY MOM, I TAKE LONG HOT BATHS, AT LEAST FOR 20 MINS YOU CAN TAKE CARE OF JUST YOU. I WISH THERE WAS A MAGIC WORD TO HELP YOU. DO YOU PUT YOUR HUSBAND IN SOME KIND OF DAY CARE FOR TIME OUT? TAKE CARE

At last another spouse caring for a spouse-thank the good Lord- My husband will probably come home from the hospital today or tomarrow at the latesse. H e has gone back to verbably abuseing and refuseing to dress himself-I guess I will have to become a b----again and not fall for his crying and make him do things. Daddysgirl please vent your feelings to me what are his limitations- is he able to do anything for himself, My husband plays games he calls himself a cripple even though he can get in and out of bed into a wheelchair and can walk with crutches and is able to get his braces on his legs and shoes and is able to get a simple meal together but wants to be waited on hand and foot and actually cries like a 3 year old when his needs are not met-and tells me he hates me one min. and loves me other times, I also feel helpless most of the time. H e really needs to be placed but I don't want a nursing home to get everything. I so pay for private aides three times a week for 5 hrs each-but he doesn't ask the aide to do much for him and wait until he has left to demand his needs-I have to constantly be the bad wife and remind him how much we aew paying the aide to sit around most of the time. Come to this site and maybe we can help each other very often we can see others opions better than our own-take care dear lady and God bless.

oh,,[crying] it is so nice to see someone else going through what I am. My husband had three heart attacks in 2003 and I never got to go back to work. He was abusive verbally while "playing around with neighbors". Recently he got really sick and had to have brain surgery for bleeding..while in hospital he could talk and walk and he actually blacked my eye. I just started school in two places to return to work and pay some of the bills. Now there are more bills. I had him moved to a rehabilitation center for 20 days while I moved to a cheaper place and went to school. On last Saturday he signed himself out and now I am supposed to care for him, go to school, and fight all night[he sleeps all day]. I can put him back but it will cost $200 a day and we really do not have that money..also they will take his check that I need to move on the Nov 3rd. Honestly if things don't improve as soon as we move if he does not improve I am seriously thinking of putting him in there permanently. He is 62 and the bleeds will reoccur over and over. I am sorry if I sound selfish. I really am not..just so exhausted.marilee

It.s hard reading about life with the one you love in desperate need and to think back when my dad would not go to the doctor unless I took him and my brother lived in town near him. I was living in another country at the time dad passed away. I have spent more time in the air traveling to get dad to go to the doctor the last two years he was alive. I'm glad I did it. I was a daddy's girl and he trused me. My mother was very nasty to me and dad the last two years of his life. Now I'm taking care of mother. My husband has been there for me through it all. Now I'm seeing signs of Alzheimers in my husband. I'm scared, but take one day at a time. He want go for testing. I pray he will before it gets worse.

Marilee I am so sorry for all you are going through I wish I could help but all I can do is to encourage you to keep in touch and my concerns and my friendship and will look out for your postings we all will help you as much as we can. and girlfriend you are not selfish you are the only one trying to cope he could be more helpful and I hope more spouses come on board, sometimes placement is the hard answer and only you know when it is time-I am trying to put it off but had to cut down the number of hrs we have our aide -he understood why I had to do it but his wife would not accept it so I called the agency and got another aide for the two 5 hr days we want- I feel bad we really liked the first aide but we had to do what was right for us and I had cut everything I could.

Lynn I wish you well, I am sure in time others will see what you notice in your husband my husband is forgetful but so far it is only me that notices, please keep us informed it must be very worriesome esp. since he will not go for test and there are meds out now that do help slow it down-I will pray for you and hope the people here will be of some comfort to you,

Queenie Something that worked when I was a nurse when a pt. would ask the same question over and over again like what time is it I would ask them the question they had just asked me and many times they could tell me the answer and would not repeat the question for a while.

HI CAROL, YOUR ALWAYS A HELP TO EVERYONE THAT COMES HERE. ITS JUST SO SCARY TO WHATCH YOUR PARENT OR SPOUCE CHANGING RIGHT BEFORE OUR EYES WITH REALLY NOTHING WE CAN DO, BUT CRY ALOT. I FIND MYSELF CRYING ALL THE TIME OVER STUFF THAT WOULD HAVE NEVER BEFORE BOTHERED ME. NOW IN SENCITIVE TO EVERYTHING AROUND ME.

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